Technical aspects of phase i/ii environmental site assessments 2nd edition

DS-1 Standards Editorial. It covers bits of many different designs, and it focuses on the areas that are important for performance. It now includes requirements for roller cone bits and the cutting structures of downhole reamers. It gives you the power to prevent bit failures. The credit requirements in the SS category present options to eliminate or reduce runoff.

Rainwater Management Intents The intent of SS Credit —Rainwater Management is to reduce rainwater runoff and improve water quality by duplicating the natural hydrology and water balance of the site based on historical conditions and undeveloped ecosystems in the region. Rainwater Management Strategies The strategies to meet the rainwater management credit requirements reflect the SS category knowledge domain of site design and development.

Because rainfall can differ from region to region, these strategies are also aspects of regional design in the Project Surroundings and Public Outreach knowledge domain. Two steps to approach rainwater management can be used to earn points under SS Credit—Rainwater Management. The first step is to reduce the amount of impervious areas hardscape that cause excessive rainwater runoff. The second step is to manage runoff by using green infrastructure and low-impact development techniques.

A comprehensive rainwater management program that uses both methods to replicate the natural hydrology and water balance on the site can yield the highest return. The following strategies can help project teams achieve their rainwater management goals.

Reduce Impervious Hardscape. There are many pervious surface alternatives that can be used in place of hardscape to help manage rainwater at its source and prevent runoff. The most popular choice of pervious surface for rooftops is the green vegetated roof. Installing beds of native and adapted plant species on a rooftop traps rainwater and prevents it from running off the roof.

Pervious surfaces for sidewalks and parking lots include porous pavement, asphalt, and grid pavers. The difficulty with porous surfaces is that they are permeable to water as well as salt and soil. The tiny openings in porous materials will clog up over time and must be cleaned to retain their permeability.

Implement Rainwater Management. Collecting rainwater is a popular option to reduce rainwater runoff. Collected rainwater can be reused for irrigation, process water, or flush fixtures inside the building.

Depending on the sophistication of the collection system, the rainwater can be routed through pipes to areas within the building. However, rainwater cannot be used for drinking. In states with drought issues, such as the western states, rainwater harvesting is typically prohibited because the water is allocated for downstream users. Use Passive Rainwater Management. A passive rainwater management system redirects rainwater to planted areas where it is allowed to saturate the soil. Redirecting rainwater into areas that are specifically designed to filter and drain the water back into the earth is fundamental to rainwater management.

In regions of the U. Rain gardens, dry ponds, and. Using porous pavers can eliminate large pools of standing water that frequently result from rainstorms and snowmelt.

A passive rainwater harvesting system can use berms or swales to channel water to a landscaped area for irrigation purposes. This is an inexpensive, yet effective, method of controlling rainwater runoff and reducing soil erosion. Using harvested rainwater instead of treated water for this purpose could greatly reduce the demand for treated water.

Dry ponds and bioswales are landscape features designed to clean and hold rainwater and drain it back into the earth. Passive rainwater harvesting systems are used to direct rainwater to planted areas where it is allowed to saturate the soil for irrigation purposes. In low-lying areas susceptible to flash floods, the construction of gabions can protect the landscape from soil erosion by slowing the movement of water.

A gabion is a collection of rocks or boulders held together using wire. The wire mesh or metal fabric holds the rocks and boulders in place. A gabion slows the movement of water, which allows for saturation into the soil. Use Active Rainwater Management. Rainwater runoff may not provide enough water to irrigate plants on a regular basis because the amount of runoff is dependent upon weather conditions. For example, in times of dry weather or drought, there may not be enough rain to meet irrigation needs.

Therefore, rainwater must be collected and stored for use between rainfall occurrences. An active rainwater harvesting system captures, stores, and later transports rainwater by another means to a desired application area.

Commercial buildings typically collect rainwater in large cisterns that are placed on the roof, next to the building, or built into a cavity inside the building.

Rainwater collected in an active rainwater harvesting system may be used for drinking water, although it requires treatment through a series of filters and pumps.

Constantly operating HVAC systems increase the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the environment. The SS category addresses the heat island effect. Dark surfaces such as the hardscape of a building retain solar heat, causing. Downtown urban areas experience increased heat island effects due to large amounts of concrete, pavement, and other heat-absorbing building materials. Active rainwater harvesting systems are used to capture and store rainwater for transportation to a desired area at a later time for irrigation purposes.

Heat Island Intents The intent of the credit in the SS category is to reduce heat islands and minimize their effects on regional climates and human health and wildlife habitats. The credits encourage the project team to design a building and site that have minimal contributions to heat island effects. Often, buildings experience high energy savings when these credit requirements are met.

Heat Island Strategies The strategies to meet the heat island reduction credit requirements reflect the SS category knowledge domain of site design and development. These strategies also address energy savings over time by reducing heat gain, which is part of the values of sustainable design portion in the Project Surroundings and Public Outreach knowledge domain. SS Credit—Heat Island Reduction aims to reduce the problems caused by heat islands, which occur mostly in urban areas due to the abundance of constructed surfaces.

Constructed surfaces include. The heat island effect increases microclimate temperatures and impacts wildlife species not adapted to the higher temperatures. The following strategies can be used to reduce the heat island effect. Reduce Exposed Hardscapes. Reducing exposed hardscapes includes installing green roofs; using open-grid paving; providing shade for the hardscapes using trees, foliage, landscaping, or other structures; and locating parking underground. These strategies reduce heat gain attributed to exposed hardscapes.

Use High-Reflectance Materials. The success of the experience is tied to communication of needs and matching effort to the needs. The most important variable under the control of the owner is to pick a qualified, responsive consultant. Request a quote today. Henshaw serves as a client manager and technical manager on complex projects involving contaminated and derelict properties, creative litigation, deceased landowners, tax liens, non-performing banknotes, resurrecting defunct companies and cost recovery.

He has served as a testifying expert for plaintiffs and defendants on high profile cases involving causation and timing of releases, contaminant dispersion, allocation, damages, past costs, and closure estimates. She has twofold experience in the environmental field, having worked in Egypt both on the governmental and on the consultancy sides of it. She also worked with Chemonics, an international consultancy, on over 30 environmental audits of factories in the food, pharmaceutical, chemical and metallurgical industry.

Her work included making recommendations to improve industrial compliance to environmental standards. Aliaa gained extensive engineering experience working with the environmental consultancy, ATC Associates inc. Aliaa routinely prepared Phase I and II Environmental Site Assessment reports and was part of the team handling the closure activities for a landfill facility, Geothermal Inc.

Landfill, Lake Country, CA, used to dispose of geothermal wastes. She was involved in environmental monitoring during construction at the Emeryville Mall Brownfield site in Oakland, California. She also shares her environmental experience at Hayah International Academy by teaching an Environmental Systems and Societies course in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

She aspires to combine her background in both the fields of environment and education to provide support in developing the necessary skills and expertise to address environmental challenges, and fostering attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action for sustainable development. Skip to main content Skip to table of contents. Advertisement Hide. This service is more advanced with JavaScript available. Addresses the cost and effort concerns that cause reluctance to adopt sustainable development Shows that some measures taken by green communities can be simple and relatively inexpensive Provides the solution to accommodate for economic growth without causing harm to the environment Promotes development of sustainable communities for a better quality of life while minimizing the use of resources.